Llanusa, Simpson looking to fill leadership role for Sooners
NORMAN—With no seniors on the roster this year, the Sooners are missing the kind of leadership that comes with experience.
Oklahoma isn't completely without upperclassmen to lead though. Two juniors—
Ana Llanusa and Mandy
Simpson— have played a lot of bas
ketball in their time at Oklahoma, and they are attempting to fill the leadership role.
“Without seniors, you don't have all that experience that you expect a senior class to have,” coach Sherri Coale said. “However, Ana's played just about every minute that she's been available to play. ... Mandy played a ton last year as a true sophomore, so she has a lot of experience.”
Coale said there are some ways in which Llanusa and Simpson are leaders, and some ways they're not yet.
“They're still growing in their capacity to impact,” Coale said. “But we talk a lot about seizing the moment. Here's a moment where our team needs leadership, are you providing it, and how can you provide it?”
She and Simpson have been working on their leadership skills, Llanusa said. She's enjoyed having the younger players lean on her and helping the freshmen learn.
“I think it's our time to step up,” said Llanusa, a former Choctaw High star. “We have to, there's nobody left to do it.”
Tulsa native Gregory having 'immediate impact' for Sooners
Freshman guard Gabby Gregory has had an immediate impact.
The Tulsa native has been making her presence known in practices so far this year, Coale said during women's basketball media day on Monday.
“She's a scorer, she's a competitor, she's fiery, she's tough, she's physical,” Coale said. “She's had an immediate impact on our practices, and I suspect she will in games as well.”
The 2019 Oklahoma Player of the Year in high school, Gregory has had to adjust to the speed of the game in college.
“Just everyday that I'm here I'm learning something new,” Gregory said. “I've played basketball my whole life, but there' s so much new terminology that I'm learning.”
A Holland Hall graduate, Gregory is one of five players on the team from Oklahoma. Sophomore Jessi Murcer, a Moore native, said she loves how many local players the team has.
"They already feel at home just because they're from here," Murcer said.
As for the other freshmen, Liz Scott is still recovering from an ACL tear and hasn't been fully released yet, and Chloe Bloom, a redshirt freshman, has continued to improve, Coale said.